Machine



(N0 Model.)

4 Sheets-Sheet- 1.

I H. SPLITDORP.

WIRE COVERING MACHINE.

Patented Julie 17, 1884.

fzu azziaz W 4 Wines 565 4 SheetsSheer 2.

{N0 Model.)

H. SPLITDORF.

WIRE COVERING MACHINE.

N0. 300,403. Patented June 1'7, 1884.

(N0 Model.) I 4 Sheets-$heez 3.

H. ,SPLITDORP.

WIRE COVERING MACHINE. No. 300,403. Patented June 17, 1884,

222371655 26. m fi gzerzivzf N4 PEYERS. mm-Lmw a rm, Wad- 13ml; D. C.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

H. SPLITDORF.

WIRE COVERING MACHINE. No. 300,403. Patented June 17, 1884.

RHHI illl h. PETERS. Mote-WWW. wznhingon. u. c

Unirrnn STATES Parent am.

HENRY SPLITDORF, OF NEW YORK, N.

WIRE-COVERINGVMACHINE.

\ EiPF-JCIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 300,403, dated June 1'7, 188%.

Application filed February 14, 1881. (No model.) Patented in England March 2'3, 1881, No. 1,272; in France May 27, 1581, No, 141,886, and in Germany October 22, 1881, No. 17,522.

Cotton in the form of slivers is the best adapted to be used for this purpose; and this invention consists of a machine designed to accomplish this object. The machine is composed of a sliver-carrier provided with feed-rollers constructed and operated to draw the sliver off its bobbin as the'carrier rotates in bearings on the frame of th e machine, and pass the sliver to a pair of rollers in line with the feedrollers of the sliver-carrier. The sliver is untwisted between these two pairs of rollers by the rotation of the sliver carrier. A spreading device acts on the sliver after it is uutwisted to form it into aflat ribbon composed of parallel cotton fibers,

and it acts on the principle of pressing the collected fibers to cause them to assume positions side by side by means of dull k'nifeedges passing rapidly by one another with the collected untwist-ed fibers between them. This spreading device may be dispensed with in using some kinds and sizes of slivers and when it is not required to lay avery thin covering on the wire, as the untwisting of the sliver spreads the fibers sufficiently for most purposes. After the sliver is untwisted, it is taken by conveying-belts or a system of rollers which carry the spread fibers to the last operating device of the machine, consisting of a pair of rollers or guides set close to the wire to be covered. The wire is drawn through a hollow fixed spindle on which the whole of the operating parts of the machine revolve. These rollers or guides are sufficiently close to the wire, so that tension may be applied to the spread fibers as they are wound around the wire without disturbing the continuity of the ribbon composed of the'parallel and unconnected cotton fibers. The various devices are connected together by such an arrangement of gearing, that a positive and uniform motion is imparted to them to perfectly control the sliver in its passage from the bobbin to the wire. To balance the machine, and also to enable the covering of the wire to be eX- peditiously performed, I propose to duplicate the working parts of the 1nachi11e,as described, and arrange the corresponding parts of each machine diametrically opposite one another on the one revolving frame. The rollers or guides which pass the fibers to the wire of the one machine are set higher than those of the other, so that the two cotton fiber ribbons are wound on the wire in alternate spirals.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure 1, Sheet 1, is a diagram view showing the general construction and operation of my improved wirecovering machine. Fig. 2, Sheet 1, is an elevation with all the operative parts in front of I the center line removed to show a front view of the complete wire-covering machine beyond the center line. Fig.3, Sheet 2, is a side elevation of Fig. 2, showing one of the machines on one side in section and the other one in full, also showing certain modifications in the fiber-conveying device. Fig. 4;, Sheet 3, is a plan view of the same, showing one of the fiber-conveyers removed. Fig. 5, Sheet 3, is a central sectional elevation of the up per part of the machine as shown at Fig. 2, taken at right angles thereto, and showing at one side the fiber-spreading device; and Fig. 6, Sheet 3, shows at the left hand of the center line a plan view of the same, and at the right hand a section taken on the line as m, Fig. 8, with the sliver-bobbin removed. Fig. 7, Sheet 4, is a part side elevation of the spreading device as shown in section at Fi 5. Fig. 8, Sheet 4, is a plan view of the same with the upper conveying-rollers removed. Figs. 9 and 10, Sheet l, show the connection of the wirecovering machine forming the subject of this invention,with the devices for causing the same to rotate and controlling and feeding the wire through the hollow spindle. The supporting-frame is shown in section.

Referring to Figs. 1, 9, and 10, the frame a, which carries all the operative parts of the machine in duplicate, is caused to rotate on the fixed spindle b by means of the belt a,

passing around the grooved pulley a on the the driving-pulley for the belt a in the drawings at Figs. 9 and 10, their construction and arrangement will be fully understood by those conversant with the art of wire covering, as they are similar in construction to the mechanism of this class of machines now in use and adapted to be used with my improvements, of

' which Igvill now describe the construction and operation confining suchdescription to the instrumentalities constituting a complete wirecovering machine.

. The corresponding parts of the duplicate machine I mark by the same letters of reference, and where modifications and extra attachments are shown it will of course be understood that such will be applied, when used, to the duplicate machines.

The hollow spindle I), through which the wire b passes, is secured to the base-plate 12 which is fastened to the frame of an ordinary wire-covering machine.

The vertical parts of the frame a are cast in one piece with the pulley a and the. lower bearings of the sliver-carriers, and at their upper ends they are connected together by the bearing a which fits over the upper end of the spindle b. The plate 0 is secured to the tops of the vertical parts of the frame a, and it is provided with bearings for the upper ends of the sliver-carriers directly in line with the bearings in the lower part of the frame a.

The sliver-carrier is composed of the light frame (2, secured at one end to the gear-wheel d, the hub of which forms the journal for the upper bearing of the sliver-carrier. The lower journal, d", works in the hearing at the lower part of the frame a. Inside the frame d, at its lower end, and in line with its axis of rotation, is fixed the short post (1 on which the bobbin 6 of the sliver e is placed. On the top of the bobbin 0 is secured the disk 6?,

which is made of thin sheet metal, as shown, a

or of glass or other suitable material capable of receiving a fine polish on the rounded edge, to allow the sliver to be drawn over it with as little friction as possible. The hub of the gear-wheel cl, above the plate 0, is enlarged, and forms a rectangular box, in which are fitted the rollers f and f The roller f is pressed against the roller f by means of small springs secured to the sides of the rectangular box, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. Motion is imparted to these rollers when the wheel (2 and sliver-carrier are rotated by means of the bevel screw-wheel f secured tothe shaft of the roller f and meshing into the teeth of the the wire I) in starting the machine.

internal screw, f which is secured to the plate 0 concentric with the journal of the wheel d. A bell-shaped hole is formed centrally through the wheel d and its hub, and. through which the sliver passes tothe rollers f and f. One or both of these rollers may be covered with rubber, and they are connected together by the pinions f.

On the spindle 1), between the bearing a? and plate a, is secured by a key the pinion into which and the wheel d meshes the ad-' justable intermediate pinion, h, so that as the frame a and sliver-carrier revolve around the fixed spindle b in the direction indicated by the arrow y the sliver-carrier and the feedrollers f and f are caused to rotate in the frame a, as indicated by the arrow 1', and so untwist the sliver as it leaves the rollers f and f. The number of revolutions made by the slivercarrier in passing once around the spindle b is governed by the size of the fixed pinion g, which may be readily changed, to enable the machine to cover different sizes of wire, by loosening the collar 1) and raising the frame to until the end of the spindle b is below the pinion g,when

the pinion may be taken out and replaced by upward by the rollers f and f, is gripped between rollers or conveying-bands, which carry the untwisted sliver to the center of the machine. The untwisting of the sliver occurs between the feed-rollers f and f and the conveying device, so they are set as close together as possible.

At Fig. 5 one form of the conveying device is shown in section. The upper part of Fig. 3 shows a modification which will be hereinafter described. The frame 2' is secured to the plate a, and the top plate, 1', is pivoted to it. In the frame 6 are fitted the rollers i and 2', around which is placed the apron i In lugs on the top plate, 1', are fitted the rollers i and 2' carrying the counter-apron f. The surfaces of theaprons i and i are caused to lie close together by means of the curved plate i or by another roller placed so as to cause the aprons to travel in a curved line between the rollers i and i The top plate, i, with the rollers 13 and 2' is turned back away from the apron 13, to allow the sliver being placed between the aprons i and t after it is drawn up through the rollers f f, and so secured to The plate t" is held down by the catch-bar i. The front rollers, i and 77', are arranged close to the wire 11, so that some tension may beapplied to the straightened and spread cotton fibers without disturbing the ribbon-like arrangement of the fibers as they leave the rollers or the aprons i and i to be wrapped on thewire as the rollers revolve around it. These rollers i3 and '6 I propose in some cases to set at an angle other than a right angle to the'wire 1). Motion is imparted to the aprons i and f through the me-' dium of the pinion j, secured to the vertical shaft 3'', and meshing into the wheel (7/. The worm j on the upper end of the shaft 3' actuates the wormvwheelj on the shaft of the roller i All the gears and pinions, &c., are so proportioned that the rolllersff and aprons i and 2" move at the same rate of speed, and about equal to the spiral circumference of the wire being covered for every revolution of the machine on the spindle Z1, and the speed of rotation of the slivencarrier is such that all the twist of the sliver is removed when the size of the sliver on the bobbin is at its mean size, leaving a very little twist in the sliver when it is above the mean size, and imparting to it a slight twist in the opposite direction when it is below the mean size. This irregularity in the untwisting of the fibers is caused by the variation of the twist imparted to it or the variation of the untwisting of the sliver as it is pulled off over the end of the bobbin, due to the gradual decreasing quantity taken off each revolution; but such variation is so little that the proper laying of the fibers on the wire is not materially affected. I propose in some cases to impart to the sliver-bobbin a rotation on its axis equal to the speed at which the sliver is drawn off the bobbin, independent of the motion of the sliver-carrier, so that the sliver will always approach the rollers f f from the same direction.

At the right hand of Fig. 5, and in Figs. 7 and S, is shown a device for spreading the sliver after it is untwisted. The principle on which it operates consists in pressing the sliver between smooth dull knife-edges, which are caused to pass rapidly by one another, thereby causing the fibers to slip off one another where the sliver is more than one fiber in thickness, and so lie side by side. The extent to which the fibers are spread or divided is governed by the speed and the amount of movement imparted to said edges. In the application of this principle the knife-edge Z is caused to press the fibers over the edges of and into the depressions of the grooves of the roller m, which takes the place of the roller i The roller '1 in this case is located just behind the grooved roller m, and the roller i is placed above i Motion is imparted to the grooved roller m, which is geared to the roller i by similar means to that described as operating the roller 2' On the shaft of the grooved roller m are secured the two cams on in, each provided with as many rises as there are grooves in the roller in. These cams act against pins projecting from the sides of the slide which carry the knife 2, said slide being pressed forward to cause the knife Z to enter a groove in the roller m each time the pins fall into a depression of the cams m an by means of the spring Z, and the movement of the knife is regulated by the nut on the rod 2*. The aprons and carry the fibers to the wire 5 from the grooved roller in, their speed relatively to the roller at being increased to straighten out the corrugations in the sliver caused by the knife Z pressing it into the grooves of the roller m. This spreading device is only required to be used with the larger sizes of slivers. The small slivers spread sufficiently upon being untwistcd. The sliver, when untwisted, may also be rcdu ccd in thickness by causing the conveyor or the last pair of rollers to travel faster than the feed-rollers which pull the sliver off the bobbin, and so draw down the sliver to any desired extent.

In place of the eonveyingaprons 11 and 27, a series of rollers, a and a, may be used, connected together by the gear-wheels 11 as shown in Figs. 3 and 4-.

This machine is also well adapted to be used for covering wire with the finest sizes of yarns or threads. Said operation on. the ordinary wire-covering machines is, by reason of the frequent breaking of the fine yarns or threads, a slow and tedious operation. And the machine may also be used to impart more twist to the sliver and draw it out into a fine yarn by causing the conveying deviceto travel faster than the feed-rollers which pull the sliver off the bobbin, thus applying the covering to the wire in a twisted condition, and so converting the machine into a thread-spinner at the same time it is used as a wire-coverer, and saving the expense of previously spinning the sliver into a twisted thread or yarn.

It is obvious that the machine may be made single, to apply only one set of fibers to the wire; but I prefer to duplicate it, as shown, as therebytwice the amount of wire may be covered in a given time. Instead of the two sets of fibers being placed as alternate spirals on the wire, one may be caused to lie over the other when an extra thickness of insulatingcovering is required or two machines may be arranged one above the other, and constructed to revolve in opposite directions, so as to apply two layers of fibers on the wire in opposite directions. And it is also obvious that the positions of the various devices may be altered and any other suitable connecting and driving gears than those described may be used Without departing from the principles on which the machine operates; so I do not wish to confine myself to the particular construction and arrangement of the devices shown; but

hat I claim, and desire to secure by Let-- ters Patent, is-

1. The combination of a rotating sliver bobbin-carrier provided with feed-rollers constructed and operated to untwist the sliver as it leaves the ieed-rollers,with a conveying device for carrying the untwisted sliver to the wire to be covered, substantially in the man ner hereinbefore set forth.

2. The combination, with the grooved roller m and the spring-acting knife-edge slide Z, of the cams in, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, with the fixed hollow spindle Z2 and the frame a c i, adapted to be rotated thereon, of the feed-rollers n and a,

carried in the upper part, 2', of the frame, and

system of gear-wheels g, h, d, j, j and of,

substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. A rotating sliver bobbin-carrier provided with a pair of feed-rollers and operated to untwist the sliver as it leaves the feed-rollers, a conveying device composed of aseries of rollers adapted to carry the untwisted sliver toward the wire being covered, and a pair of i'eed rollers or guides located in close proximity to the wire, in combination With suitable connecting-gearing to cause the various dcvices to move with a positive and uniform motion as the machine revolves around the wire, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbcfore set forth.

5. A rotating sliver bobbin-carrier provided with a pair of feed-rollers; a spreading device composed of a grooved roller and a reciprocating knife for spreading the untwisted sliver,

and aprons and their supporting-rollers for WVituesses:

ALFRED SHEDLOOK, H. D. WILLIAMS. 

